


Couldn't take it to the grave

by Indehed



Series: Couldn't [2]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Coda, Episode Related, Episode Tag, Hurt Danny "Danno" Williams, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-02-23 03:03:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13181025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indehed/pseuds/Indehed
Summary: Related to episodes 8x10 (chapter 1) and 8x11 (chapter 2).*"When I was shot," Danny went on to explain. "I was trying to hold on, like you were asking me to do. And I knew I needed to fight for something. So I was thinking about all the great things I'd miss if I wasn't around - like the restaurant being a success, Charlie's graduation, walking Grace down the aisle. Grand kids…. growing old with you."A smile blossomed wider on Steve's face, realization dawning. "You dreamed about us?""Well, it came up a lot in conversations we had while stuck in quarantine. I figure I had it on my brain already but yeah we were together," Danny nodded.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Rather than doing three stories in this series with one per episode, I've decided to do this one as two chapters. Guess it's kind of like how they aired!  
> I'm not ruling out further stories - it will depend on the biting plot bunnies once we get further through the season and what happens when this plot to kill Danny is uncovered etc. If I think I can fit things into this version of events, then I might give it a go!  
> Unbeta'd.

"He's going to be okay. You did everything you could. He'll be okay," Tani said from behind, words repeating like a mantra. 

Steve stayed rooted to the spot, cement holding down his feet when he wanted to follow, wanted to run after the disappearing gurney, until he crumbled to his knees, braced his bloody hands on the ground and took deep, shuddering breaths. He held back the tears. 

Tears got you nowhere and he wouldn't let them fall unless there was a reason and right now there was no reason. Fear didn't help, it was something to be overcome. He couldn't think about things that scared him or he'd be crippled.

Danny would be okay. Danny _**was going to be**_ okay. 

There was no alternative.

*

"Thanks, Doc," Steve said before pulling Keller in for a grateful embrace. He could hear the celebrating behind him and he hung his head a moment to process. He joined in the merriment but he couldn't smile, not yet. The doctor said he was going to be okay, but…

He excused himself and followed the doctor out into the corridor. 

"Hey, Doc! Doctor Keller!" he called after him.

The doctor turned around. The man looked tired and Steve could only be thankful that he'd put the effort and concentration into saving Danny's life. "Commander? What can I do for you?"

"Listen, you said it was touch and go. I know I don't have a lot of medical knowledge and I'm not sure I should hear it but I've got to - how bad was it? Really? I need to know."

"Well, you were there yourself for a lot of it, it seems right that you want to know how it finished," the doctor nodded before scrubbing at his face. "It took a lot out of him. He'd lost a lot of blood. He suffered a traumatic arrest on the operating table. It took us over two minutes to bring him back."

Steve hung his head, vision getting blurry with the tears that had been trying to fall for hours. He had his hands on his hips, and he brought one up to wipe at his nose. "Thank you," he said again. "Thank you for not giving up on him."

"He did a lot of the hard work himself," Keller said. "He's tough. We weren't going to give up on him after coming so far." He patted Steve's shoulder again. 

"Doc, I know what you said about when we'd see him, but I can't wait. I don't know if you understand or not, but I need to be in a room with him. Right now. I need to see him, to see him breathing, to see for myself that he's okay. I can't wait," he said. He tried to make it strong and forceful but he knew that the majority of his words just came out desperate. 

The doctor glanced around him and then behind to the waiting room. "You're not a relative..." he hedged. 

"I'm his partner," his voice croaked on the final word. "Him and me. That's it. That's what matters."

"Okay," Keller took pity on him. Perhaps it was because he'd spent so much time with the team over the last six days, or maybe it was because he saw the distress in Steve, but he took his arm and led him down the corridor. 

The doctor took him to the elevator and they journeyed up in silence. Getting out, Steve was acutely aware of the signposts pointing in the same direction they were walking. "He's in the ICU," he said, worried. 

"Normally, I'd get him straight into a regular hospital bed but I'm concerned about how any traces of the virus you all had might interact with his damaged respiratory system. We've got specialists in the ICU who can keep a good eye on him overnight. If they're happy, then in the morning we'll move him somewhere more comfortable."

Steve knew enough about ICUs to know they were not comfortable or restful places to be. There was the constant hustle of doctors and nurses as well as beeping of equipment and not always the good kind of beeps. "Did you test him like you did us to check he was free of the virus?"

"We did and he's got the all clear on that front but that doesn't negate what lasting effects it might have and whether or not his respiratory system was more badly damaged by the affects of the virus, putting him at further risk after the way his lung collapsed because of the bullet. As Danny himself pointed out, he was exposed to sarin a number of years ago and because of that exposure, his body struggled to cope with this attack and I'm cautious about how he'll fight off any lingering problems."

"But is this a necessary step or a precaution?" he asked warily. 

"It's a precaution. Like I said, I hope that after a night under observation, he'll be able to recover somewhere a little nicer without any complaints." They reached where Danny was lying and the doctor nudged Steve forward. "He needs rest, and when the Pulminologist needs to take care of him then you'll have to step aside. In the meantime, you can sit with him. Talk to him, let him know you're here. It'll help."

"Thanks, doc," Steve answered without looking back. His eyes were focused on Danny and nothing else. Even all of the equipment attached to him made little difference but he could see the monitor beeping a steady heartbeat, and he could see the soft rise and fall of Danny's chest. 

He sat next to the bed. When he pulled the chair in closer it creaked and he winced at the sound before gingerly moving it closer still. He sat for a moment. 

"Hey, buddy," he said, quietly. He reached out for Danny's hand, pleased at its warmth as he held it between both of his own. "The doctor said you're going to be okay. Everyone knows, so no need to worry about that. Rachel is bringing the kids home early so they can come see you. Eric already put the call in and I know you don't want to worry them but he did the right thing, you know? It was a close thing."

He lifted one hand to rub at a leaking eye. When he lowered it, he reached up to Danny's face. The breathing mask was in place and made it difficult, but he ran his fingers over Danny's cheek and then up to card through his hair. 

"You know you look kind of peaceful for someone who almost died. Doc says you fought. I knew you would. You're just stubborn enough to look at death and then… punch him in the face," he smiled, trying to lighten his own mood more than anything else. 

He rubbed Danny's arm, turning it a little to run his fingers up and down the soft skin on the underside while avoiding the IV lines. It was a comfortable silence punctuated with rhythmic beeping and then the air was shattered by the sound of an alarm nearby. He looked around, heart pounding in his chest, worry clinging and squeezing at his insides until the doctors rushed past and to the patient next to Danny and the gurney was quickly wheeled away in another direction. 

Relief flooded through him to know it wasn't Danny's monitors that had gone haywire, it wasn't Danny that was in danger. He spared a thought for the family of the woman who had been taken away, but one look down again at Danny and he shoved it aside. He was allowed to be selfish at a moment like this. He was allowed to not care about anything unconnected to him and Danny for these few minutes.

"Don't ever do this to me again. No pressure, or anything, but I don't know what I'd do without you and I don't ever want to find out. And I'm sorry for any time I've made you feel like I do right now. And I'm here for you. Whatever you need. I love you, partner."

*

After about half an hour he'd been told he needed to leave and he'd slid down the wall a few strides outside of the ICU and no one had bothered him - not until there was the ding of the elevator and Adam appeared, sighing with relief. 

"There you are," he said as he stood above Steve. "Everyone's worried about you."

"I came up here to see Danny."

"They let you in?"

"I didn't exactly give them a choice."

"That sounds about right," Adam came and sat on the floor next to him, legs drawn up. "What are you doing sitting here?"

"I just needed a minute to get my head straight. When he got shot there was no time to think about what had happened and now I'm just thinking about how close we came to losing him."

Adam held Steve's shoulder, squeezing lightly in reassurance. "He's not going anywhere. But you have to, because you can't sit here in everyone's way. Most of the others have gone and will be back in the morning. Doctor said Danny's under sedation and needs the night to sleep so let's get you home. You can shower and change and get something to eat before thinking about coming back."

"No, I'd rather-"

"You need to leave. Danny would insist and if things were the other way around he'd listen to people about taking care of himself."

"Liar," Steve scoffed and laughed. He turned his head to see Adam's smile and saw how the other man knew better as well. "If things were the other way around Danny would need to be dragged kicking and screaming from my bedside."

"Oh yeah?" Adam asked, still smiling. 

"I've seen it first hand," Steve reminded him. "He turns into a mother hen when someone is hurt."

"You do a passable mother hen yourself."

"Nah," Steve shook his head and gave an aborted laugh again. "I'm there if someone needs help but I get through things when they're bad by being a SEAL. By not letting in the fear. But once that part's done I just..." he looked around himself. "Collapse, I guess. Take my moment and then just brush it aside and move on and expect others to do the same. Not this time, though. I'm taking a leaf out of Danny's book and I'm going to take proper care of him."

"Well that starts by taking care of yourself. You can't do anything for him right now so you need to be ready when you can. That means resting, eating, showering, making sure his house is ready for him when he gets out. Update Rachel and the kids. Talk to Danny's parents, help Eric with the rest of the family. Things like that." 

"You're right. I've got responsibilities." He pushed himself up to stand and wiped at his eyes one last time, determined to stop wallowing. 

They made their way to the elevator and back down to the level their waiting room had been on. When they got there, the only people left were Lou and Eric. The weight of responsibility landed on Steve and gave him a renewed energy and will. He saw the look on Lou's face of sympathy and concern. Shaking his hand and going in for a half hug, Steve told the big man that he was okay and that he should go home. 

"Eric, come on. I'll take you home. You shouldn't be driving."

"I'll do that, Steve. Adam will take you home. And neither of you should be back here until at least 7am," Lou warned them both. 

Eric was still quiet, despite the ease he now had knowing his uncle was going to be okay. But he'd clearly been making a lot of phone calls again in the last half an hour as he twisted his drained cell phone in his hands. "I didn't get a chance to talk to anyone for long," he told Steve. "Can you call my grandparents and tell them what actually happened and what the doctors said?"

"Sure thing, Eric. Get some rest."

*

"No, Clara, it's just a precaution to keep him there. The doctor said he's going to be fine, there's no reason to doubt him.... ... because of the virus we were all exposed to that he called you about... I think they'll let him out in a couple of days... ... of course, I won't let him out of my sight until I know he's better and even then I'll probably stick around for another week or so... 24/7 I promise, he's in good hands with me, Grace and Charlie... ... as soon as he's allowed to make a call, you'll be the first person... okay, I'll talk to you later," he finished and hung up the phone, taking a deep breath. 

That was all the phone calls taken care of - Danny's parents, Stella, Bridget, Rachel. He pressed the phone to his forehead and leaned forward on the sofa. Adam had insisted on making him some food before leaving and Steve had wolfed down the eggs without complaint. He'd been running on adrenaline for so long through the day that he was happy to eat. He took the plate into the kitchen and methodically washed everything up and put it all away, making sure the kitchen was tidy again.

He automatically reached for Eddie's bowl to feed him again and only belatedly remembered that while they'd been in quarantine, Jerry had taken the dog to look after him. As much as he missed his dog, he knew he was better staying with Jerry for longer. But he would like a cuddle from the enthusiastic pup - something he'd never thought he'd say out loud. He blames Danny. He used to be a cat person but Danny always preferred dogs and he was convinced that Danny was responsible for him becoming, as Danny put it, 'more human'. It seems that came with a love of dogs. That and being more tactile, more willing to talk about emotions and even engaging in some form of therapy. Twenty-five year old Steve would have been appalled at the loosening of his forty year old self's discipline, of his bad habits creeping in, of the fact that he could rely so much on family and friends and _love_. Yes, as a SEAL he relied on his team but it was rare to _care_ so much as for it to potentially be detrimental.

That was one of the reasons he'd held back from Danny for so long. Things with Catherine were just easier. It was an excuse but it was what he'd gone with for a long time. Simple. Straight forward. Expected. He could work with her and keep everything in check and still think of the greater good. Giving into the intense feelings he had for Danny meant admitting that he wasn't the SEAL he used to be. Tani was right - their shared history and love for each meant it was inevitable that when the shit hit the fan they would prioritise each other. He was just finally at a place where he could reconcile that in his head and know that he could live with any guilt that kind of preeminence brought forth. 

He was just sad that falling into bed with Danny hadn't been enough to convince the other man that it was more than casual. They should have talked sooner. Steve ought to have made that clear. When they'd first slept together, that had been the beginning of Steve willingly giving his all to Danny. And to be honest, he still wasn't sure if Danny understood that. If anything, this day had proven to him why six months ago he'd taken the plunge in admitting what he wanted with Danny, and also proven why he needed to make sure Danny truly knew exactly what he was thinking.

That would be rectified in the morning. 

He made sure the house was locked up and plodded slowly up the stairs. He didn't think he'd get much sleep, and when he looked at his bed those expectation dropped. It wasn't that he and Danny spent every night together, nor that they favored being in Steve's bed. But looking at it made him feel... lonely. Danny being in the ICU and Steve being here felt wrong. 

*

He'd slept enough to recharge his batteries and not fall asleep at the wheel. He'd had two power bars for breakfast along with coffee and he'd arrived at the hospital to hear good news - Danny had been moved out of the ICU at around six am and was now settled into a private room. He was comfortably asleep when Steve first ducked his head in. Relief swelled inside him once more to see color on Danny's cheeks and the oxygen mask no longer in place. 

He grabbed the seat on Danny's left nearest the door and swung it closer to the bed before sitting. He reached for Danny's hand and squeezed at the warmth and ran his other hand up the underside of his arm. 

Danny cleared his throat. Still groggy, his eyes only opened after his head had begun to turn in Steve's direction. "Hey," he said. 

"Hey, buddy. You back with us?" Steve ducked his head closer.

"Who was he?" Danny's voice was still hoarse.

Steve shook his head. "We still don't know. Lou and Jerry are looking into it. But don't worry about that right now, okay? You've got more important things to think about."

Danny lifted his free arm to touch his chest, trying to work out where the wound was and how bad. Steve reached over and stopped him, grabbing his wrist to make sure he didn't aggravate anything. He could feel the laxness in Danny and how he still wasn't entirely with it as the sedatives continued to affect him despite wearing off. 

"Leave it alone," Steve admonished. "You'll mess up the doctor's handiwork and he did a real good job."

Danny frowned. "I remember something. You were doing...? In quarantine... the doctor was outside and you had to...?"

"We'll talk about it later," Steve said. 

Danny gave Steve a smile that hinted at how drugged up he still was. "Love you, babe."

"I love you, too. Maybe you should get more sleep. Everyone wants to come see you in a little bit and the kids will be home this afternoon. You want to be rested for that." Steve saw Danny's eyes close and he pulled out his phone to check the time and see about texting a few people to say Danny had started to wake up.

"New glass phones are better," Danny was looking at him again and Steve frowned, confused. 

"Okay, buddy. I think the doctor gave you the good drugs because you're not making much sense. Do me a favor and get some more sleep. I'll be right here."

"Hmm."

*

"You with me this time, buddy?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Danny asked, eyes a lot clearer this time and his movements less sluggish. 

"It means last time you were awake you were barely lucid."

"I'm awake. I'm fine."

"Well, you're not fine. You were shot yesterday and almost died. You won't be fine for a while." Steve told him. 

"I'm fine enough."

"Good, because you and I need to talk about a few things," Steve said. His hand was lying flat on Danny's chest, fingers pinching lightly into the material of the sheet while his other hand held loosely over Danny's wrist. He saw Danny's eyes widen and his body begin to tense thinking Steve had bad news for him so he was quick to settle him again. "Nothing bad. Just talk like we should have ages ago about us and what we're doing. I don't want us drawing our guns again until we've settled this."

"Okay," Danny said warily. "I love you, babe. And I know what I mean by that, and I know what you mean. I don't know what else we need to say."

"You sure about that? Because loving each other is one thing and it's not going to change. But I feel like maybe now is the time to make more plans. I figure we've got Five-0, we've got the restaurant. We've got all these things and that's great. It's set in stone, it ties us together. But it feels like we should do more."

"More than work together and spend the majority of our free time together?" 

"Remember when I said I wanted to have something like what you have with Grace and Charlie? And that's why I was going to propose to Catherine?"

"Sure," Danny smiled though it seemed forced as if not sure where Steve was going.

"I was wrong about that and it's why I didn't propose to her."

"I don't understand," Danny frowned. 

"It wasn't because she was leaving again. That would be enough, I guess. It proved that she didn't want to be here, not really, if she wasn't going to fight for us. And I didn't fight either. And that was because as I hugged her goodbye, I knew that I didn't want something like what you had. "

"Maybe it's the gunshot wound but I'm still not following."

"I wanted _**you**_ ," Steve squeezed Danny's hand tighter. "Not something _like_ you. I wanted _**exactly**_ you. And Grace and Charlie. I'm just sorry it took me so long to act on it. You're the person I want to propose to and spent my life with and love your kids."

"I dreamed about you," Danny said with lightness.

"Not quite the response I was expecting, but I like the sound of it. I think."

"When I was shot," Danny went on to explain. "I was trying to hold on, like you were asking me. And I knew I needed to fight for something. So I was thinking about all the great things I'd miss if I wasn't around - like the restaurant being a success, Charlie's graduation, walking Grace down the aisle. Grand kids… growing old with you."

A smile blossomed wider on Steve's face, realization dawning. "You dreamed about us?"

"Well, it came up a lot in conversations we had while stuck in quarantine. I figure I had it on my brain already but yeah we were still together," Danny nodded. "I remember we were sitting in your back yard on those chairs. It was peaceful."

"That's what it takes to get you to move in with me?"

"Huh?"

"The promise of forever. Us getting married... that's what it takes? If we were living in my house in this dream of yours…"

"I never said anything about us living together. Or about being married. I just said we were still us, that's all."

"If we're eighty and still going strong I guarantee we'll have made things official. At least by the age of seventy-five."

"Grace and Charlie will have beaten us to it."

"You're going to allow them to get married? That surprises me. I thought you'd be warning them off."

"Hey, listen, marriage can be a wonderful thing. And even though Rachel and I didn't work out, even though I guess I always knew right from the start that we wouldn't, I don't regret it. We got two amazing kids out of it."

"Yes, you did. And if it wasn't for Rachel, you would have never met me, right? You'd never have moved to Hawaii."

"There is that. Not so sure it counts as a good thing..."

"Hey!" Steve swatted Danny's arm and he made a show of wincing. "Stop it, you were shot on the other side," he smiled and Danny answered it with one of his own. He leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on Danny's lips, savoring the moment and the warmth and putting aside all possible thoughts about how close he'd come to losing this. "Scooch up a little bit, will you?"

"Me? Why am I scooching? I'm the invalid here, not you. Hey!"

"Listen to me, I've been taking care of everything since yesterday. Not only was I keeping you alive until the doctors could get at you, but I've been dealing with the rest of your family. I'm tired. Make room."

Danny hurrumphed but still did as was asked, even if it did pull a grimace from him and his hand went protectively to his upper chest to his bullet wound. Steve pulled himself onto the bed, crossing his legs low down and turning a little onto his side so that he'd fit. He threw an arm around Danny's shoulders. After a few short kisses, they lay together in comfortable quiet and Steve probably dozed even if he didn't realize it but he was awakened by a knock on the door and bit by bit, Danny's visitors began to arrive. 

Danny shoved at Steve a little, expecting him to get down from the bed but it wasn't until Eric showed up that Steve felt it prudent to allow Danny's nephew a chance to sit close to his uncle. 

"Aw, no need to move on our account, boss," Tani said as she and Junior came around the other side of the bed with Steve. "We got used to seeing you both in bed together."

There was a moment where Danny's eyes boggled at her words and a few of the others in the room seemed unsure what to say until Lou lightened the mood. "Maybe for you, rookie. But the rest of us haven't had the pleasure of being locked up with these two. Still don't know how you survived it."

Steve looked out the window a moment then stood by the side of Danny's bed while the others all grabbed whatever seats they could with Tani swinging her legs up onto the bed. 

"Oh, everyone knows, by the way," Tani gestured around them. "McGarrett already spilled the beans yesterday."

"What did he say?"

"He said you were doing the nasty," Lou made a disapproving face but everyone could tell it was for show.

"Boning," Eric nodded his head along.

"Banging," Flippa nodded with a sly smile.

"Okay, I didn't use either of those words to describe anything," Steve stopped them before this turned into the reciting of definitions from urban dictionary. "I'm not as crass as the rest of you."

"And don't ask who won the bet because apparently no one started one about this," Lou said with a glance at Kamekona.

"I guess none of us were surprised," Adam smiled over at him. "We're happy for you. Kono sends her love, too. Of course, there was a bit of an awkward moment after that conversation died down."

Junior, standing in a loose parade rest took over. "Kamekona had to break it by ragging on Commander McGarrett for shaving his head."

"What is this, pick on Steve week?" Steve asked before folding his arms. "Don't I get any credit for what I did for him yesterday?"

"Did I get any credit for giving up my liver for you? No, I didn't. Everyone ragged on me back then, too, so just shut up about how you held my hand through it."

"I did more than hold your hand, partner."

"He actually did," Tani leaned her elbow on the bed. "He had to use his finger to clear your airways through a hole in your chest."

"He did what with his finger?"

*

Steve clutched the picture of Danny and a wave of fear ran through his body. "Okay," he told the others. "I want HPD Forensics in here. I want the the whole place swept for prints and DNA. I want to know more about this guy and get HPD to do a handwriting analysis on this - see if there's anything in the system that matches it. If anyone else was in here, if they were working with him, if there's a further threat to Danny, his family or this team I want to know about it."

"Anything new we find can be cross checked against all of Five-0's old cases as well as any Danny worked at HPD or NPD before."

"Good, but maybe keep Eric away from this and try and get a different lab tech to take a look," Steve said at Lou's answer. "And listen, let's not talk to Danny about this right now. As far as he's concerned we're just trying to find out more about the shooter and we're confident he acted alone. I don't want him worrying about any other possible dangers while he's recovering."

"What if there is a partner of some kind?" Tani asked. "Maybe even someone who knows where Danny lives? This photo means someone was following him. It was taken in public but they could know a lot about him - especially if it is someone from New Jersey who tracked him out to here."

"We know so little about this guy it's difficult to make any calls right now," he answered her noncommittally. It was possible: Rick Peterson had targeted Danny knowing he had moved to Honolulu from Newark and anyone else could do the same. But would they also have been able to find out where he lived? Danny would spot a tail following his car. But things were different if someone followed him on foot by pretending to be just another tourist with a camera. 

Lou spoke up again. "This guy attacked Danny at the hospital. In the quarantine unit. Which meant having to gain access to the building, get the code for the unit, get a hazmat suit. It would have been easier for him to do it at Danny's house or even at Kamekona's or anywhere else Danny hangs out regularly. Either he didn't know those things or he had some kind of time restraints."

"It sounded like revenge. Danny was supposed to know who he was, but he didn't. Which would mean it was a long time ago that this guy's beef with Danny started. If he's waited this long, a few more days until Danny was out of the hospital would have been easier," Tani answered. 

"The truth is we just don't know enough either way," Steve said. "So we work on this as best we can and we update Danny but we keep the majority of our worries to ourselves for now. And where possible, we don't leave Danny alone."

Lou's eyebrows raised at the last. "Well that should be easy for you, you know, considering how the two of you have been knocking boots these last few months."


	2. Chapter 2

_6 days later..._

"You ready?" Steve asked as he breezed into Danny's hospital room with a wheelchair. 

"I was ready yesterday," he grumbled. 

"You're getting out of the hospital a handful of days after flatlining on an operating table. If I were you, I'd stop being grumpy and be happy you're getting to rest up and relax over Christmas," Steve told him as he helped Danny into the chair. "The doctors said you'd still be sleepy while the stronger pain meds wear off so you're lucky I promised to take care of you or you'd be stuck in here for longer. A thank you would be nice."

"Hey, I appreciate you helping spring me. But I maintain that the doctors are worried for no reason and would you please stop quoting dwarf names at me."

"Sorry. I was reading Snow White to Joanie last night for her bedtime story, it must be stuck in my head."

"I miss those days with Grace. I'm just glad I get to do them again with Charlie," Danny said with a wistful tone as Steve began to wheel him out. "You get the pills the doc said I'd need?"

"In my pocket," Steve replied as he patted Danny's shoulder. "Don't worry. I've got you."

*

Steve had helped Danny into his Camaro, which had surprised Danny because it meant Steve had picked the car up from where Danny had left it at the Palace and had probably been using it the whole time Danny was in the hospital. On one hand, bringing it was a nice gesture as it meant Danny didn't have to climb up into the cab of the Silverado. On the other hand... Steve's sense of ownership over the Camaro was ramping up and Danny really ought to put a stop to it before it expanded to Steve thinking he owned everything in Danny's life - including him. 

Then again... hadn't Steve been doing that for years, even before they started sleeping together and before these last few days where they'd begun to put their relationship more into perspective? Maybe the slow takeover of Danny’s life was just… normal. Maybe it wasn’t that he hadn’t noticed and more that he just didn’t mind.

He sighed at his thoughts and then frowned as he looked at where Steve was driving. “Hey,” he said as he sat straighter. 

“What?” Steve asked.

“This isn’t the way to my house.”

“No. It’s the way to **my** house. Which is good since that’s where we’re going.”

“I thought you were taking me home.”

“I am. Home… to my house,” Steve shot Danny some strange looks but before Danny could draw breath again, he kept going. “I promised the doctor, okay? He said someone should be with you today even if all you do is sleep it off most of the time. You can’t do that at your place so you’re coming to mine.”

“I don’t need a babysitter. I’m fine.”

Steve ignored Dany’s comment and continued. “I could get a call, so if HPD get in touch and I have to leave you then at least Mary and Joan are at the house and they don’t have plans until something later on this afternoon and by then Kamekona will be by to get things organized for the Christmas bash so this is the plan and it’s a good plan. So just shut up and let people take care of you.”

“You do remember I’ve got Grace and Charlie staying with me tonight, right? It’s gotta be at my place, not yours. If for no other reason than there’s not enough space at yours but mostly because that’s where the tree is and all the presents.”

“Don’t worry, after the party I’m going to drive you over and Rachel will drop off the kids. Gracie already promised me she’ll keep a close eye on you when I’m not around.”

“She’s fifteen.”

“And a lot more mature than you are half the time so she’ll be fine taking care of you for the evening.”

Danny sucked his top lip in and held back any additional comments about having his own teenage daughter babysitting him and reporting back to Steve. Nor anything about how he was a grown man and it didn’t even hurt all that much anyway and even if they didn’t ID the shooter yet he was perfectly safe since the guy was already dead. “Look, I appreciate the gesture very much, I’m very happy that people want to look out for me.”

“Good,” Steve answered and then continued to look between Danny and the road. “That’s it? No more arguing?”

Danny bobbed his head from side to side before replying. “I may still be mostly drugged up and too high to argue,” he said and then plastered on a smile that made Steve laugh. 

“Maybe I should ask the doctor for a supply. Would make my life a whole lot easier if you were always this agreeable.”

“Enjoy it while you can, babe.”

*

Danny was quite happy on the couch. For a while, Joan had been playing around him but Mary had taken her outside for a bit and despite Steve running around trying to do housework to make the place presentable for his party later on, Danny still found himself dozing as he watched the TV. 

After an hour or so, Steve plonked himself on the sofa next to Danny and slung an arm around the back of it. Danny jolted a little as he hadn’t even paid attention to Steve crossing his eye line. It made him hitch in a breath and his head almost fell from where he’d had it leaning on his propped up hand. 

“What are you doing?” He asked. 

“What do you mean what am I doing? I’m sitting watching TV with you.” Steve shifted until his arm was properly around Danny and then he settled back, encouraging Danny closer. 

They watched sitcom reruns a little longer until Danny looked around with a frown. “Hey, so while Mary and Joan are here, where the hell is Junior sleeping? On the sofa?”

“No, he’s really into helping at the shelter over Christmas and he’s crashing with a friend of his who used to live there, too. Shit.” Steve stiffened next to Danny and it made him lift himself into a better sitting position and with only a slight grimace.

“What is it?”

“I almost forgot. With Mary coming into town like she did… I promised Junior I’d help out at the shelter this afternoon, make sure everyone there was taken care of. He’s picking up some of the vets as well, everyone’s lending a hand.”

“Then go. I’m not stopping you. I’d actually like to help out too, but I know that in your role as nurse you aren’t going to let me.”

“Even for a good cause, no. You’re staying here and getting better.”

Mary had been in the kitchen making Joan lunch and she’d overheard the conversation. She appeared at the doorway and leaned on the wall. “What about the parade?” She asked. 

“Shit,” Steve said again. 

“Hey, mind your language. There’s a toddler in earshot and she’s in that phase of repeating what everyone around her says.”

“Sorry. I forgot about that, too. Everything with Danny getting out has been on my mind.”

“I’ve said it a million times. I’m fine. I don’t want to be a burden. Everyone has plans. Joan should go see the parade with her mom, she’ll love it. And you should go with them to that. You know, act like a family. After that, you swing by the shelter and you’re back here in enough time to set up the last of the party.”

Steve was faltering, he was close to agreeing but his chivalry towards Danny’s continuing healing was still in the way.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m just going to have a quick bite to eat and then take a proper nap. I am actually feeling tired and I want to have some energy when dealing with a 15 year old and a 6 year old later on today so… besides, you said the shrimp brigade will be coming round later, so if anything untoward happens - which it won’t - they’ll call you. Or I’ll call you. You know, since it’s more likely that they’ll do something stupid and burn the house down than it is that I’ll suffer any kind of set back.”

“Fine,” Steve said, duty overriding everything else. Danny was sure it was the military aspect of the day getting to him as well as the chance to take Mary and Joan to the parade. If it was anything else, he doubted Steve would leave his side. Steve looked at his watch. “I don’t have to leave for about an hour. That gives us enough time to make you something to eat and get you tucked up in bed.”

“Oh, shoot. I have to pick up the last of Joan’s presents downtown,” Mary said. “I should go do that before things get too busy for the parade. How about she and I take off in after lunch and we meet you there?”

“Sounds good,” Steve said.

*

They made small talk in the kitchen. Danny played with Joan at the table and conspiratorially they made fun of her mom and uncle as they worked around each other. In retaliation, Steve threatened to put Danny in the booster seat and feed him from a kiddie plate. 

Mary reminded Steve that she was meeting up with some old friends after the parade who also had young kids. It was good that she had her own rental car while on the island since it meant Steve didn’t have to worry about chauffeuring her around while he was also taking care of Danny.

Mary shot them a few looks every so often, especially since it became more and more obvious that Danny was going to be spending the early afternoon napping in Steve’s bed. Which made Danny realize that although they were ‘out’ after Steve revealed all during Danny’s surgery, he wasn’t sure if Mary knew. He suspected she didn’t. But it certainly seemed she had questions.

Before she could ask them, she had to run off, leaving Steve and Danny alone. 

Steve checked his watch and then ushered Danny upstairs.

“Hey, octopus arms, I can undress myself,” Danny grumbled as Steve helped him unbutton his shirt and toss it on the back of a nearby chair. 

“I don’t want you stretching where your wound is,” Steve reasoned, but that excuse didn’t exactly hold up when he unbuttoned Danny’s jeans and pushed them down. He smirked at the smaller man before bending to pull them from his legs. 

“I don’t usually allow strange men to undress me,” Danny joked. 

“It’s a good thing I’m not strange, then.”

“Debatable,” Danny replied before Steve had him down to his boxers and socks. The other man folded Danny’s jeans and placed them on the chair before pulling back the covers and getting Danny under them. It was a simple gesture and both knew what side of the bed Danny was going to pick after the nights he’d spent there in the past. 

Steve haphazardly tucked him in and then lay down next to him on top of the covers. In moments they were making out like teenagers and Steve was carefully half stradling Danny.

“Wait,” Steve reluctantly pulled back and rolled away. “Doc said nothing strenuous for another week. And unfortunately, sex was on the list he gave me.”

“Here’s the thing,” Danny countered. “You, my friend, have double standards.”

“What? No, I don’t.”

“Says the guy who completely disregarded the doctor's orders after you got half my liver. And you didn’t even tell them about the radiation exposure until I did it for you. You’re unbelievable.”

“It’s different for me, okay?”

“Oh, it’s different. Is this when you pull the Navy SEAL card or the not being a father card? Because I accept neither, buddy. You are a human being and you have people who care about you and I spend far too much of my time convincing you of that and trying to get you to take better care of yourself.”

“Well, you and me, maybe we’ve got more in common than we think because you clearly want to disregard doctor’s orders now, too. So pot, kettle. Okay? You can’t throw stones at me unless you willingly submit to what the doc said,” Steve told him with a raised, challenging eyebrow. 

Danny grumbled at the back of his throat as he realized the position he was now in. Apparently he had to set an example. “Fine. Just, the next time you’re hurt - God forbid - you are taking a page out of my book and listening to what the experts with the fancy degrees tell you to do.”

“Deal,” Steve said, though he looked a little too smug and Danny wondered if he had his fingers crossed behind his back. 

Steve leaned down and kissed Danny one more time before swiveling out of the bed and to his feet. He rearranged his pants because even just a short make out session had started to arouse him and he needed to control it.

“I’m going to go meet Mary at the parade. I need to remember to call Junior and let him know the slight change to the plans today.”

“Go, let me get some sleep,” Danny turned onto his side, watching Steve putter about gathering his stuff before he headed out, half closing the bedroom door over and allowing Danny to stretch and turn onto his back again as he got comfortable in the big bed. He took a deep breath - the bed smelled like Steve but still also held a hint of himself among the fading scent of fresh cotton. He liked the smell in here. 

He gathered the sheets around his shoulder and cocooned himself in Steve’s lingering scent before drifting off. 

*

The next time Danny woke it was to the sound of crashing in the kitchen and a deep voice grumbling. There was a split second of panic as he worried the house was being broken into but his fears were allayed quickly. 

He could hear the argument happening downstairs and no thief would be stupid enough to argue loudly with their cousin in the middle of a break in. He shook his head and got out of the bed. He scratched idly at his chest then hissed as his nails scraped over the bandaging on his wound. He used the en suite then dressed in his clothes from earlier in the day, buttoning up the red shirt and checking the collar in the mirror. He tamed his hair and then made his way down the stairs to greet their visitors. 

Kamekona and Flippa were putting out food on the table and the pig caught Danny’s eye immediately as the offending item the two had argued over when they arrived. 

Kamekona turned to the younger man. “You see! You woke him, just like I said. You know McGarrett told you to be quiet for a reason.”

“I’m fine, big guy,” Danny moved past him to the fridge for a bottle of water. He reached for the pills that Steve had placed on the kitchen counter and he swallowed one quickly. 

“He said he’s fine,” Flippa shrugged. “And if he sleeps too much through the day, he won’t get any at night. It’s like jet lag. Not good for you.”

“I agree,” Danny nodded his head as he watched them. “Besides, don’t want to miss out on all the fun. Speaking of Steve, where is he, shouldn’t he be back by now?”

The two other men looked at each other. “Delayed,” Kamekona said.

“Uh-huh,” Danny nodded again but slowly this time. “Delayed. What… the parade started late?”

“No, it started on time,” Flippa said and Kamekona slapped his arm which meant Danny’s suspicions that they were hiding something was confirmed. 

“He got called to work, didn’t he,” Danny said, disappointed. 

“Something like that,” Kamekona agreed. “He just said we were to make sure you were okay. Sounded to me like Five-0 had everything in hand.”

“Okay, well, you both continue to do whatever it is you’re doing. I’m going to go sit on the couch,” he told them and then made his way into the living room where he flicked on the TV and immediately went to the local news channel. After 20 minutes he was still sitting on the edge of the coffee table, remote propping up his chin and internally screaming at the idiot he’d fallen in love with. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he mumbled as the reporters gave more details about the incident at the parade and that the thieves seemed to have been chased into the mall but nothing official had been released by police.

“Shoots, you found out,” Kamekona sighed and shook his head as he found his way into the living room and sat on the recliner. “McGarrett asked us not to tell you.”

“Well, I’m a detective. I figured that and turned to an alternate source,” Danny gestured, allowing the big guy an out since he had a feeling mother hen McGarrett might rear his head later on. “I’m very tempted to call him and give him a piece of my mind.”

“You can’t do that. If he’s busy, if there’s a shooter after him, a phone ringing might not be a good thing.”

“I agree. That’s why I haven’t done it yet,” he stared at where his phone was sitting on the edge of the coffee table. He’d already thought of a million different bad situations Steve could be in whereby a ringing phone could get him killed. It seemed that despite the surprisingly optimistic dreaming Danny had done after he’d been shot, he could still bring negativity to his outlook when he worried about the people he loved. 

“They’re running a checkpoint getting people out of the mall?” Kamekona commented as they watched the new reports together. 

“Yeah, according to people who already got out,” Danny nodded. 

“Huh. Didn’t think that was McGarrett’s style.”

“It’s not,” Danny agreed. “He’s not got the patience. My guess is that Lou is doing that while Steve is off running around the mall checking the stores or something. The problem will be dealing with whatever crazy idea he comes up with when he gets bored of searching.”

“He’ll want it over quickly. The last thing he wanted was for something to get in the way of today.”

“The party?” Danny asked, gesturing around them and Kamekona looked at him like he was stupid. 

“Nah, **you** , Jersey,” Kamekona told him. “All McGarrett wanted was to get you out of the hospital for Christmas. Everything else is a bonus.”

“When did you speak to Steve?” Danny asked, remembering that Kamekona must have spoken to him after this case started since Steve had already asked him to keep quiet about it. “What was going on when you talked to him?”

“They were in the mall. Junior SEAL and the veterans were clearing out the store the bad Santas were in. He figured it would be over quickly since they had them cornered and he’d be back home before you knew anything had happened.”

“Well, looks like that didn’t exactly work out, huh,” Danny shook his head. He needed to have contact with Steve to find out if it was actually worse or better a situation than the local news was reporting on. Of course, he didn’t need to call Steve, did he? It may be his first instinct, but it’s not like Steve was the only member of Five-0. And by process of elimination, the person in the best position to speak to and for it not to be bad timing for a call, would be Jerry. 

He lifted his phone and hit to dial for their friend, all while Kamekona sat on the recliner like a sentinel, watching that Danny not overdo it - like lifting a phone to his ear was some kind of work out. Danny rolled his eyes at the big man and turned back to the TV while the phone rang. 

“Uh….. hi,” Jerry said when he answered the phone, stuck somewhere between being busy and being unwilling to get into anything mother hen Steve might make him regret later.

“What’s going on down there, is everyone okay?” Danny launched straight in with. 

“Well,” Jerry hedged at first. “There were two thieves who escaped into the mall. We already caught one with the checkpoints we set up. The other is still inside.”

“That mall is huge, how in the hell are a dozen people going to find one guy?” Danny asked. 

“I’m monitoring CCTV. The place is just emptying of the last of the shoppers so it’s much easier to see movement on screen. Plus some of the team are busy ruling out other areas. We’ll find him, don’t worry.”

“Finding him isn’t my worry, it’s what he’ll do once you guys find him and he realizes there’s no way out that worries me. What’s Steve doing?”

“From the looks of it, he’s talking to Junior.”

“Okay, I’m calling him. Thanks for the update Jerry. And if this thing isn’t resolved soon I want you to let me know what’s going on every 20 minutes, you hear me?”

“Sure thing, but aren’t you supposed to be resting? I’m pretty sure Steve wanted you to back off from work for a little bit.”

“Steve currently seems to think I’m made of glass, I’m not, I’m fine. What I don’t need in my life right now is the team getting into any trouble, so just make sure I don’t get any nasty surprises from these nice newspeople who are reporting live from outside, okay?”

“Sure,” Jerry answered before they hung up.

In the next moment, Danny had hit the speed dial for Steve and had the phone against his ear again. He could hear the fake peppiness in Steve’s voice as he said ‘Danno,’ by way of greeting. 

“Don’t Danno me. What the hell are you doing? Are you insane? You’ve emptied a mall on Christmas Eve and you’re looking for an armed thief in a Santa suit?!”

“We’ve got everything under control. We’re on a grid search.”

“You do realize how big that mall is, right? By the time you narrow down where he might be, he’ll have come up with a dozen escape plans. Which means you don’t get out of there for a long time and he likely gets away with the money.”

Danny could practically hear the way in which Steve rubbed at his head in frustration. “Okay, you’re right. But right now I’m running dry on ideas to find him,” then Steve’s voice changed. “Which means I need to draw him out.”

“Oh yeah, Rambo? How you gonna do that, huh? You planning on throwing your voice around the whole mall in order to reach him?”

“Yes, I am,” Steve said then the phone line was muffled and Danny could just make out him asking someone about a tannoy system. “Danny? I’ve got to go. Trust me, this is going to be over soon.”

“Hey, hey, this better be and you better still be in one piece alright?”

“I will be.”

“Just for the record, I think this is a stupid idea, even though I don’t entirely know what it is. It’s still stupid.”

“It’s the idea that’s going to end this and get the McGarrett family Christmas bash starting on time. Don't worry.”

*

An afternoon spent talking about Santas (even if they were the bad kind) reminded Danny about the previous Christmas and how Adam had helped out by getting a guy to come by the house and clean the chimney for Charlie. By the time the party was in full swing, Danny had the opportunity to ask if he could arrange it again. As much as it was a nice touch for the young boy, it would also help cover up that Danny had been through something and wasn’t quite over it yet and it meant that he could watch the excitement on his kid’s face without having to partake too much in the activity. 

After Junior received his badge and the merriment was high, Mary returned home with Joanie and got a better chance to meet the new members of the team, but Danny could see that Steve kept watching her. Not in a creepy way, not in the kind of way like he didn’t trust her, but in a worried sort of way. 

As Danny sat on the couch again, he finished a conversation with Noelani and then Mary sat beside him like it was a game of musical chairs. 

“Hey, so, what’s up with Steve? I heard about the case today, is it to do with that?”

“I don’t think so,” Danny replied. “I have an idea but I don’t know that it’s my place to say. Not entirely, anyway.”

“Not entirely, so some of it is to do with you,” she deduced in that annoying McGarrett style. 

“A little bit,” he admitted, then Steve appeared and sat on the arm of the chair beside Danny and put his hand on Danny’s back, rubbing up to behind his neck. 

“Hey,” he greeted then made an abortive movement further towards Danny. 

“Steve,” Mary began. “What’s up with the weird eyes you’ve been giving me tonight. Danny won’t tell me what it is.”

“Yeah, about that,” Steve said. “I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell you something. I guess I just need to come right out and say it. Danny and I, we’re… dating?”

Her face stayed expectant. 

“Is that what we’re calling it?” Danny asked, looking up at him. 

“I don’t know," Steve shrugged. “I guess it’s the closest thing for what we’re doing.”

“I’m sorry,” Mary said. “Was that it?” The two men looked between themselves in response to Mary’s non-reaction. Though, truth be told, everyone else had taken the news in their stride so why should she be any different? “Is this news?” She asked. 

“Well, we only told the team recently. We only really just admitted some things to ourselves…”

“Hang on, I thought you two had been, you know, ‘dancing in the sheets’ for a while now. Was I wrong?”

“How long do you think we were-?“ Danny asked before Steve could say anything.

“Five or six years?” She shrugged.

“Mary, I was going to propose to Catherine just a few years back. You thought I was sleeping with Danny at the same time?”

“Well, yeah, I thought you were both just hanging halfway out the closet. For one, I never thought you were actually going to marry Catherine and hello, I was right. And two, I didn’t think it was my place to tell you how to deal with your relationships and your hang ups about being gay or whatever. How long has it actually been?”

“About six months,” Steve replied. “And I have no idea whether to be pissed about what you thought of me or not.”

Danny put his hand on Steve’s knee. “Try not, babe. She didn’t do anything wrong. Also, we need to get going because I gotta get home before Grace and Charlie get dropped off. I’m gonna get my stuff from upstairs and go to the bathroom. After that, will you be ready to drive me?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. You need help?”

“Going to the bathroom? I’ve been doing it by myself for about forty years, I think I got it covered.”

“You let me know now.”

“I will,” Danny said as he then flipped Steve the bird before gingerly making his way upstairs. 

*

With Danny back at the house and Steve making sure everything inside was fine, he seemed happier about leaving Danny alone. Grace had promised she’d be right there if Danny needed help and Danny leaned his arm around his daughter’s shoulders as he told Steve everything was fine for the ten thousandth time. 

“I’m on the other end of the phone,” Steve told them both. “I’m going to be round first thing in the morning after Joanie opens her presents. Gotta find out what’s in that stocking for me, right?”

“I’ve got this, Uncle Steve. I’ve done enough babysitting in my time,” Grace told him. 

“I know you have, but I think Danno might still be your biggest babysitting challenge to date. Toddlers have nothing on your father when he’s in one of his moods.”

“I’m right here,” Danny said as he looked between their two smirking faces. 

“Yes you are. Be a good boy,” Steve told him before giving him a light peck on the lips and turning to leave.

As the door shut, Danny and Grace walked over and collapsed on the couch together. “You ate already?” Danny asked his daughter. 

“We both had dinner at mom’s so don’t let Charlie try and con you into anything.”

“What, con?” Danny asked. “Neither of you are that good at wrapping me around your little fingers.”

“I saw the cookie stuff in the kitchen, Danno,” Grace gave him a disparaging look. 

“It’s Christmas Eve, Santa is coming and you know we’ve got to leave out cookies for Santa. I’m just glad I bought all the stuff before the team wound up on that boat because you know Uncle Steve wouldn’t have a clue what ingredients to buy.”

“So, you know I’m here for whatever you need, but I did kind of have plans with Will this evening. Not going out or anything,” she said before he could question it. “We’re going to watch a movie together while on Skype so we can talk about it.”

“What movie?”

“The greatest Christmas movie of all time, d’uh.”

“Die Hard?” Danny asked and his daughter scoffed at him. 

“The Muppet Christmas Carol.”

“Oh, the _other_ greatest Christmas movie of all time. I’m sorry, my bad.”

“I’ll forgive you because you’re injured.”

“Thank you.”

“So, we’ve got an hour before I said to Will would be a good time, which I figured would be okay because Uncle Adam will be here around then. So what do you want to do?”

“How about we get started on those cookies?”

“Deal,” Grace replied and got to her feet, holding her hand out to help Danny get back on his.

*

“You’re a gorilla,” Danny told Steve. “And what the hell are you really doing here anyway? I could have had a heart attack. You said you weren’t coming over until the morning.”

“Adam called, said you weren’t resting as much as you were supposed to. Then Mary got involved and ordered me out of the house because my worrying would just upset Joanie.”

“How many times have I told you I’m fine? It’s a little sore but it’s not like I’m trying to leap tall buildings, I’m just putting my kid to bed. And would you not wipe your crumbs off onto the carpet like that?”

Steve continued to swipe at his t-shirt, uncaring of the mess he’d been making. “Just tell Charlie that Santa was messy because the cookie were so good,” he said as he took a bite into the last cookie from the plate.

“I thought the whole point of Mary coming home to Hawaii for Christmas was to spend it with you. You should go back. You’ve been over, you’ve checked on us, we’re all fine. Charlie is asleep, Grace is watching a movie over Skype with Will and I am going to look out the hidden presents then sit and watch some TV. Nothing strenuous.”

“Mary is going to come round here in the morning with Joanie. They’re going to open some presents and then save a couple and bring them round here. If Charlie’s able to hold out, maybe we can all do Christmas morning together.”

“Like a Williams-McGarrett family Christmas thing or something?”

“Yeah, something like that. Maybe more of a McGarrett-Williams thing.”

Danny shook his head and laughed. “You’re getting hung up on the order of our names? Control freak Steve needs to be first?”

“It sounds better with my name first.”

“It’s my house.”

“It’s alphabetical.”

“Okay, whatever, just, you want to start that kind of thing? Really?”

“Traditions are important,” Steve shrugged. “Besides, I already got here and I got my pyjamas…”

Danny sat back again and put his feet up on the table. “Not for nothing, but Grace will be happy to see you here.” Steve looked at him and he continued. “She didn’t exactly say it, but while we were making the cookies earlier, I got the feeling she was disappointed that you weren’t going to be here when we all got up in the morning.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Charlie, too. But he got distracted by Adam and then by his bedtime story, of which you were a major star; I told him about the bust today.”

“Your bedtime story to Charlie was about what we did today at the mall? Isn’t he too young to be told that stuff?”

“Hey, it had good guys, bad guys, angels and a moral and, don’t give me the judgey eyes, it was heavily edited. He loved it. I think he might idolize you even more after he heard it. Clearly I should have stuck with the Grinch but I didn’t think about that until I was halfway through and I saw how happy he was to hear about his daring Uncle Steve.”

“I knew I was his favorite Uncle,” Steve smiled smugly before leaning back and putting an arm around Danny’s shoulders. “I’m glad they took the news of the two of us being together so well,” he added reminiscing of them all sitting in the hospital room a few days ago and talking to the kids about things.

“Charlie’s just happy you’ll be around more. Grace was always going to be the tougher sell but she’s been through a lot and she knows she can trust you. You’ve been the easiest introduction of a relationship I’ve ever had to give her.”

“Well, from someone who also had a pretty fractured family life, I understand where she's coming from.”

“And she’s very good at the teenage strop,” Danny added. “With Stan and Rachel finalizing the divorce and with her still being shuttled between her mom and me, it gets pretty difficult to have traditions.”

“She’s going to be part of a family Christmas this year. The McGarretts and the Williams. And we’ll just make sure she knows that will happen every year from now on.”

Danny stared at the four stockings hanging above the fireplace and at the names on them. “It’s weird. Being together and admitting what we’re doing - to ourselves and to everyone else - should be like this big thing, like a big step. But it’s somehow completely normal and natural.”

“It’s normal because it was inevitable. I will bet you right now that by this time next year we’ll be married. And I know this because everyone around us is going to push for it. They’re nuts about weddings."

“People like a party with a free bar,” Danny nodded and agreed. 

"Mary already made comments before I came over here tonight. Apparently the big announcement she was expecting us to give her was that we were engaged.”

Neither said anything else for a few minutes as it sunk in that both of them had mentioned marriage again and neither had run for the hills. In fact, both seemed pretty much in favor of it, and that it happened sooner rather than later. Something told Danny that the decision wouldn't be made by one of them getting down on one knee and proposing. It would end up happening out of that inevitability. Like they'd keep disussing it until somehow it was all planned. Or hell, maybe they'd just wind up at the county clerk's office one day and it would just happen.

Steve took his arm back and cleared his throat as he stood. “I’m going to pop in and say hello to Grace real quick, then I’ll check on Charlie before putting the hidden presents out. You grab the rest of the cookies and some more milk and head into the bedroom.”

“You know where I hid the presents?”

“Of course I do,” Steve scoffed, though Danny had no memory of giving Steve this information. 

“Why am I taking cookies into the bedroom?”

“Because the doctor said no strenuous activity, which we know included sex. But we can eat cookies, drink milk and watch Christmas movies, all while lying in the bed together in our pyjamas. Then we’ll have an early night because there’s going to be a lot going on tomorrow.”

Danny felt something soften inside him as he looked up at Steve. Some kind of knot loosened at the domesticity and he smiled. “Keep up the good boyfriend act and I promise you, when the kids go back to Rachel’s, I’m going to do something strenuous for you.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah. I mean, you’ve gotta work off these Christmas cookies somehow, right?”

"I look forward to it," Steve grinned. 

Danny was walking away to head to the kitchen when Steve's voice stopped him again as the other man turned back as well. 

"Hey, Danno? I love you."

"I love you, too."

"I'm thinking June."

"For what?"

"For the wedding," Steve said and then knocked on Grace's door. Danny wandered into the kitchen. He was right. This wedding was going to happen just like everything else in their relationship had over the last eight years. By the time June rolled around he was going to wake up married not really knowing how they got there, but also knowing it was the most natural thing in the world.


End file.
